Microecology

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Microecology means microbial ecology or ecology of a microhabitat. In humans, gut microecology is the study of the microbial ecology of the human gut which includes gut microbiota composition, its metabolic activity, and the interactions between the microbiota, the host, and the environment. [1] Research in human gut microecology is important because the microbiome can have profound effects on human health. The microbiome is known to influence the immune system, digestion, and metabolism, and is thought to play a role in a variety of diseases, including diabetes, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer. Studying the microbiome can help us better understand these diseases and develop treatments.

Microecology is a large field that includes many topics such as; evolution, biodiversity, exobiology, ecology, bioremediation, recycling, and food microbiology. [2] It is the study of the interactions between living organisms and their environment, and how these interactions affect the organisms and their environment. Additionally, it is a multidisciplinary area of study, combining elements of biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. It focuses on the study of the interactions between microorganisms and the environment they inhabit, their effects on the environment, and their effects on other organisms. Microecology also studies the effects of human activity on the environment and how this affects the growth and development of microorganisms. Microecology has many applications in the fields of medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology. It is also important for understanding the cycling of nutrients in the environment, and the behavior of microorganisms in various environments.

Moving onwards Intestinal microecology is a new area of microecology study. It is a complex microflora that is directly related to human health. [3] Therefore, regulation of intestinal microecology will help in the treatment of many diseases. It was reported that intestinal flora is involved in anti-tumor immunotherapy and affects the curative effect of an anti-malignant tumor therapy to varying degrees.

The activity of metabolites and microbial composition of the intestinal microbiota are associated with various diseases including gastrointestinal diseases and cancer. [4] Similar to the intestinal microecosystem, the vaginal microecosystem is also complicated and plays an important role in women's health. [5] Maintaining microecological balance and the acidic environment of the vagina inhibits the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. [6] [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human microbiome</span> Microorganisms in or on human skin and biofluids

The human microbiome is the aggregate of all microbiota that reside on or within human tissues and biofluids along with the corresponding anatomical sites in which they reside, including the skin, mammary glands, seminal fluid, uterus, ovarian follicles, lung, saliva, oral mucosa, conjunctiva, biliary tract, and gastrointestinal tract. Types of human microbiota include bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, and viruses. Though micro-animals can also live on the human body, they are typically excluded from this definition. In the context of genomics, the term human microbiome is sometimes used to refer to the collective genomes of resident microorganisms; however, the term human metagenome has the same meaning.

Gnotobiosis refers to an engineered state of an organism in which all forms of life in or on it, including its microbiota, have been identified. The term gnotobiotic organism, or gnotobiote, can refer to a model organism that is colonized with a specific community of known microorganisms or that contains no microorganisms (germ-free) often for experimental purposes. The study of gnotobiosis and the generation of various types of gnotobiotic model organisms as tools for studying interactions between host organisms and microorganisms is referred to as gnotobiology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gut microbiota</span> Community of microorganisms in the gut

Gut microbiota, gut microbiome, or gut flora, are the microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses, that live in the digestive tracts of animals. The gastrointestinal metagenome is the aggregate of all the genomes of the gut microbiota. The gut is the main location of the human microbiome. The gut microbiota has broad impacts, including effects on colonization, resistance to pathogens, maintaining the intestinal epithelium, metabolizing dietary and pharmaceutical compounds, controlling immune function, and even behavior through the gut–brain axis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germ-free animal</span> Multi-cellular organisms that have no microorganisms living in or on them

Germ-free organisms are multi-cellular organisms that have no microorganisms living in or on them. Such organisms are raised using various methods to control their exposure to viral, bacterial or parasitic agents. When known microbiota are introduced to a germ-free organism, it usually is referred to as a gnotobiotic organism, however technically speaking, germ-free organisms are also gnotobiotic because the status of their microbial community is known. Due to lacking a microbiome, many germ-free organisms exhibit health deficits such as defects in the immune system and difficulties with energy acquisition. Typically germ-free organisms are used in the study of a microbiome where careful control of outside contaminants is required.

Dysbiosis is characterized by a disruption to the microbiome resulting in an imbalance in the microbiota, changes in their functional composition and metabolic activities, or a shift in their local distribution. For example, a part of the human microbiota such as the skin flora, gut flora, or vaginal flora, can become deranged, with normally dominating species underrepresented and normally outcompeted or contained species increasing to fill the void. Dysbiosis is most commonly reported as a condition in the gastrointestinal tract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oral microbiology</span>

Oral microbiology is the study of the microorganisms (microbiota) of the oral cavity and their interactions between oral microorganisms or with the host. The environment present in the human mouth is suited to the growth of characteristic microorganisms found there. It provides a source of water and nutrients, as well as a moderate temperature. Resident microbes of the mouth adhere to the teeth and gums to resist mechanical flushing from the mouth to stomach where acid-sensitive microbes are destroyed by hydrochloric acid.

Jeffrey Ivan Gordon is a biologist and the Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology at Washington University in St. Louis. He is internationally known for his research on gastrointestinal development and how gut microbial communities affect normal intestinal function, shape various aspects of human physiology including our nutritional status, and affect predisposition to diseases. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, and the American Philosophical Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human Microbiome Project</span> Former research initiative

The Human Microbiome Project (HMP) was a United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) research initiative to improve understanding of the microbiota involved in human health and disease. Launched in 2007, the first phase (HMP1) focused on identifying and characterizing human microbiota. The second phase, known as the Integrative Human Microbiome Project (iHMP) launched in 2014 with the aim of generating resources to characterize the microbiome and elucidating the roles of microbes in health and disease states. The program received $170 million in funding by the NIH Common Fund from 2007 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microbiota</span> Community of microorganisms

Microbiota are the range of microorganisms that may be commensal, mutualistic, or pathogenic found in and on all multicellular organisms, including plants. Microbiota include bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses, and have been found to be crucial for immunologic, hormonal, and metabolic homeostasis of their host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oral ecology</span>

Oral ecology is the microbial ecology of the microorganisms found in mouths. Oral ecology, like all forms of ecology, involves the study of the living things found in oral cavities as well as their interactions with each other and with their environment. Oral ecology is frequently investigated from the perspective of oral disease prevention, often focusing on conditions such as dental caries, candidiasis ("thrush"), gingivitis, periodontal disease, and others. However, many of the interactions between the microbiota and oral environment protect from disease and support a healthy oral cavity. Interactions between microbes and their environment can result in the stabilization or destabilization of the oral microbiome, with destabilization believed to result in disease states. Destabilization of the microbiome can be influenced by several factors, including diet changes, drugs or immune system disorders.

Metaproteomics is an umbrella term for experimental approaches to study all proteins in microbial communities and microbiomes from environmental sources. Metaproteomics is used to classify experiments that deal with all proteins identified and quantified from complex microbial communities. Metaproteomics approaches are comparable to gene-centric environmental genomics, or metagenomics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gut–brain axis</span> Biochemical signaling between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system

The gut–brain axis is the two-way biochemical signaling that takes place between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system (CNS). The term "gut–brain axis" is occasionally used to refer to the role of the gut microbiota in the interplay as well. The "microbiota–gut–brainaxis" explicitly includes the role of gut microbiota in the biochemical signaling events that take place between the GI tract and the CNS. Broadly defined, the gut–brain axis includes the central nervous system, neuroendocrine system, neuroimmune systems, the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, sympathetic and parasympathetic arms of the autonomic nervous system, the enteric nervous system, vagus nerve, and the gut microbiota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microbiome</span> Microbial community assemblage and activity

A microbiome is the community of microorganisms that can usually be found living together in any given habitat. It was defined more precisely in 1988 by Whipps et al. as "a characteristic microbial community occupying a reasonably well-defined habitat which has distinct physio-chemical properties. The term thus not only refers to the microorganisms involved but also encompasses their theatre of activity". In 2020, an international panel of experts published the outcome of their discussions on the definition of the microbiome. They proposed a definition of the microbiome based on a revival of the "compact, clear, and comprehensive description of the term" as originally provided by Whipps et al., but supplemented with two explanatory paragraphs. The first explanatory paragraph pronounces the dynamic character of the microbiome, and the second explanatory paragraph clearly separates the term microbiota from the term microbiome.

Metatranscriptomics is the set of techniques used to study gene expression of microbes within natural environments, i.e., the metatranscriptome.

Microbiomes of the built environment is a field of inquiry into the communities of microorganisms that live in human constructed environments like houses, cars and water pipes. It is also sometimes referred to as microbiology of the built environment.

Hologenomics is the omics study of hologenomes. A hologenome is the whole set of genomes of a holobiont, an organism together with all co-habitating microbes, other life forms, and viruses. While the term hologenome originated from the hologenome theory of evolution, which postulates that natural selection occurs on the holobiont level, hologenomics uses an integrative framework to investigate interactions between the host and its associated species. Examples include gut microbe or viral genomes linked to human or animal genomes for host-microbe interaction research. Hologenomics approaches have also been used to explain genetic diversity in the microbial communities of marine sponges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharmacomicrobiomics</span>

Pharmacomicrobiomics, proposed by Prof. Marco Candela for the ERC-2009-StG project call, and publicly coined for the first time in 2010 by Rizkallah et al., is defined as the effect of microbiome variations on drug disposition, action, and toxicity. Pharmacomicrobiomics is concerned with the interaction between xenobiotics, or foreign compounds, and the gut microbiome. It is estimated that over 100 trillion prokaryotes representing more than 1000 species reside in the gut. Within the gut, microbes help modulate developmental, immunological and nutrition host functions. The aggregate genome of microbes extends the metabolic capabilities of humans, allowing them to capture nutrients from diverse sources. Namely, through the secretion of enzymes that assist in the metabolism of chemicals foreign to the body, modification of liver and intestinal enzymes, and modulation of the expression of human metabolic genes, microbes can significantly impact the ingestion of xenobiotics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salivary microbiome</span>

The salivary microbiome consists of the nonpathogenic, commensal bacteria present in the healthy human salivary glands. It differs from the oral microbiome which is located in the oral cavity. Oral microorganisms tend to adhere to teeth. The oral microbiome possesses its own characteristic microorganisms found there. Resident microbes of the mouth adhere to the teeth and gums. "[T]here may be important interactions between the saliva microbiome and other microbiomes in the human body, in particular, that of the intestinal tract."

Lesley Hoyles is a Welsh microbiologist who is Professor of Microbiome and Systems Biology at Nottingham Trent University. She combines in vivo and in vitro microbiology and bioinformatics research to better understand how the gut microbiota influences health and disease.

Bile salt hydrolases (BSH) are microbial enzymes that deconjugate primary bile acids. They catalyze the first step of bile acid metabolism and maintain the bile acid pool for further modification by the microbiota. BSH enzymes play a role in a range of host and microbe functions including host physiology, immunity, and protection from pathogens.

References

  1. Editorial: Human gut microecology
  2. Martin, Andrew; McMinn, Andrew (January 2018). "Sea ice, extremophiles and life on extra-terrestrial ocean worlds". International Journal of Astrobiology. 17 (1): 1–16. doi: 10.1017/S1473550416000483 . ISSN   1473-5504.
  3. Jin, Chengcheng; Lagoudas, Georgia K.; Zhao, Chen; Bullman, Susan; Bhutkar, Arjun; Hu, Bo; Ameh, Samuel; Sandel, Demi; Liang, Xu Sue; Mazzilli, Sarah; Whary, Mark T.; Meyerson, Matthew; Germain, Ronald; Blainey, Paul C.; Fox, James G. (February 2019). "Commensal Microbiota Promote Lung Cancer Development via γδ T Cells". Cell. 176 (5): 998–1013.e16. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2018.12.040. PMC   6691977 . PMID   30712876.
  4. Gao, Yuan; Shang, Qingyao; Wei, Jing; Chen, Tingtao (2021-06-01). "The correlation between vaginal microecological dysbiosis-related diseases and preterm birth: A review". Medicine in Microecology. 8: 100043. doi: 10.1016/j.medmic.2021.100043 . ISSN   2590-0978.
  5. Hsu, Daniel K.; Fung, Maxwell A.; Chen, Hung-Lin (2020-06-01). "Role of skin and gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, an inflammatory skin disease". Medicine in Microecology. 4: 100016. doi: 10.1016/j.medmic.2020.100016 . ISSN   2590-0978. S2CID   219474425.
  6. Aleshkin, Vladimir A.; Voropaeva, Elena A.; Shenderov, Boris A. (2006-01-01). "Vaginal microbiota in healthy women and patients with bacterial vaginosis and nonspecific vaginitis". Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease. 18 (2): 71–74. doi: 10.1080/17482960600891473 . S2CID   85402769.
  7. Romero, Roberto; Hassan, Sonia S; Gajer, Pawel; Tarca, Adi L; Fadrosh, Douglas W; Nikita, Lorraine; Galuppi, Marisa; Lamont, Ronald F; Chaemsaithong, Piya; Miranda, Jezid; Chaiworapongsa, Tinnakorn; Ravel, Jacques (December 2014). "The composition and stability of the vaginal microbiota of normal pregnant women is different from that of non-pregnant women". Microbiome. 2 (1): 4. doi: 10.1186/2049-2618-2-4 . ISSN   2049-2618. PMC   3916806 . PMID   24484853.